Meet Rafi Levy | Guitar Player, Composer, Performer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rafi Levy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rafi, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
I’d say one of the most important lessons I’ve learned from my business/career is that it’s really important to have a vision of what you want to do and then break it down into little steps and tasks that need to be done to get you closer to that vision. And then be persistent on doing those steps on a daily or weekly basis to make that vision happen.

The more clear our vision is, the easier it is to break things down into simple tasks to get us closer to achieving that vision. And also sometimes when we’re really clear and the tasks are clear, we can get there faster. But not always! Some things just take time.

Also sometimes our vision becomes more clear while we’re in the process of working towards it. Because we learn things along the way while we’re in the process of doing the daily work. And we realize some things that can be tweaked or changed. So I’d say even if you’re 50% clear on the vision, that could be enough to get started and then you can become more clear while you’re in the process.

What’s amazed me is that when we have a vision and we’re persist in doing the work towards the vision, one day we wake up and we see that it’s come to life! And lots of the times it can feel like nothings happening in the beginning and it can almost feel kind of crazy to be pursuing it. Because you normally don’t get much support from people around you until your vision is already successful. So you have to just believe really strongly in what you’re doing and be disciplined to keep at it.
Then one day you wake up and it’s happening!

I think this concept works for almost everything in life. With our relationships as well. If we visualize where we want that to be as well and do the steps to make it successful, we normally see the results over time. It’s just like watering your plants. You plant the seed. Water it consistently. And then it grows!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Currently I’m performing full time as a solo artist. When I perform live I play original compositions as well as cover songs in various styles (Latin, Spanish, Popular Classics, and Middle Eastern).

All my performances are solo guitar performances over custom beats that I create. And I also perform as a duo. And will soon be performing as a trio as well.

I have residencies at different venues (Wineries, Casinos, restaurants, hotels etc) around Los Angeles that I play at on a weekly and monthly basis. And then I also play at lots of private parties. Like house parties, corporate events, weddings, cocktail parties, and all types of occasions and gathering!

As of now the music that I’ve composed as a solo artist could be described as- soulful instrumental guitar music with influences from South America, Spain and the Middle East and Mediterranean. As well as influences from hip hop, Neo Soul, Reggae, Funk and other types of groove music.

I have 3 albums out on all platforms (Desert Cruising in a Dub State of Mind, Uplift your Soul, Island Wisdom).

I think what’s unique about what I do or what I’m good at is blending different styles of music in a tasteful soulful way. Most my life I’ve really enjoyed listening to many different styles and types of music. And I like to explore different styles from around the world.

All the music that I compose and record is recorded with live instruments and musicians playing them.

Normally I kind of go through phases when I’m obsessed with a certain style of music and am listening to it none stop and digging deep into it. Then a few months later I could be in the mood for a different style and be listening to that none stop!
I think it’s nice to have different styles of music to listen to and enjoy for different moods and atmospheres. and it keeps things fresh and fun!

That’s why you can hear different influences and blends in my music.

In my opinion if you want to play any style of music good, you have to really enjoy listening to that style and appreciate it and get familiar with the lifestyle and culture of that music. Otherwise it will just sound watered down and lack substance. You can fake it but it will probably sound better if you really like the style of music that you’re playing and listen to it even when you’re not doing it for work!

The way I got into to doing what I’m currently doing at this phase of life was kind of through years of playing music, composing music, practicing and performing a lot! (5 to 6 days a week). And experimenting with things until I kind of figured out what I’m trying to do as a solo artist and what type of people and places normally appreciate what I do. Because before doing the solo thing, I was playing and writing music in a band for 12 years and normally accompanying singers and rappers. The style of music in the band was hip hop, neo soul, funk, reggae kind of blend. Going solo was a big change from accompanying singers.

This is something that’s still always evolving and changing with time. And that’s something that excites me about music. There’s always more to learn and improve. It never ends! And the better you get at it the more you realize that there are so many other things to learn and improve at. It’s kind of like that with most things in life when you dive deep into it.

In my opinion, I would say that as a musician one of the biggest struggles is figuring out how to make a good living doing music full-time. We spend years practicing and trying to master our craft. And at the same time, there is the business side which most musicians aren’t really so clear on what exactly is going on! Especially because the industry format has been changing so much every few years. By the time most of us figure out what we’re supposed to do and start putting that into action the format is already changing and how to make a living from it is changing.

Also, I think most of us musicians imagine ourselves performing in stadiums someday and imagine ourselves being the next big thing. Which is great and a beautiful thing. When we’re kids and just starting out especially. And nowadays I think a lot of musicians think of how to make music from posting on social media outlets and licensing and YouTube etc.

In a nutshell, I think that when we think of the music business and how to make money in it, what comes to our mind is the glamorous side of the industry. And that’s probably why most musicians don’t end up managing to make a living working as full-time musicians. I could be wrong here this is just my theory from my experiences. But I wasn’t making money in music until I changed my way of looking at the music industry and what I consider the music business.

Things started to flow good for me and I really started making money in music once I started treating music and performing like any other business. Meaning I thought of plumbing businesses and other businesses that offer services and products and thought about what they do. Then I said I will approach it simply like that! I said I offer a service which is performing music. And my job as a performer is to touch people, uplift with music, create a nice ambiance and providing entertainment. If I do that properly, I will get paid. Next, I thought now I just need

to figure out who to sell my service to and start selling just like any other business has to do. So I started approaching different venues and agents and selling where ever and however I thought was relevant to what I do. I’m still continuing to do that and grow. But since 2014, I’ve been making a living from performing full-time since I took this approach. And I take the same approach to selling my music and getting it licensed. It’s a product and I need to contact people who can get that product where it needs to get. The product should be good!

So there were more challenges and obstacles when I was trying to approach the music business in the typical way. I think people don’t have to listen to all the hype out there and can find a path that fits what they do if they really analyze what they’re offering and then think who is the customer who would pay for what they’re offering.

My goal is to keep putting out the best music that I can and to give people something good. Something soulful! If it touches your soul and makes you feel good, then it was a success in my eyes. I’d like to keep on growing as a human being and as a musician always.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well I would probably take them to some salsa music spots around LA because I really enjoy that and think it’s also a part of LA culture! I would take them to El Floridita, La Descarga, and the Granada. The music is awesome, and the people and dancing at those places are normally fun!

To eat I would take them to eat Sushi in the valley on Ventura Blvd as well as Israeli food and Mexican food. Also Korean food in K town. Lots of great spots, The list would be too long to name each one!

And of course to hang out at the beach at Marina Del Rey or Santa Monica. And hiking in one of the many beautiful spots around LA:)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Shout out and big thank you to my parents for all their love and support and for always encouraging me to do what I love.

Also big shout out and thank you to my wife for believing in me and having faith in my abilities.

Thank you to my friends and also fans who have come out so see me play through out the years and encouraged me to continue making music and for taking the time to listen to my music.

Thank you to god.

Shout out to the Santa Monica pier! Busking there for years was an inspiring experience. And it showed me peoples kindness and taught me that my music has value in this world.

Thank you to Vino wine and Tapas bar in Encino for giving me work for years and helped me make connections and also it’s where I met my wife!

Website: www.RafiLevyMusic.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/rafilevymusic1?igshid=NGVhN2U2NjQ0Yg==

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/people/Rafi-Levy-Music/100040058574543/

Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@RafiBLevy

Image Credits
Black and white photos-Benjo Arwas Color photos- Enrique Aguilar